


Chapped and Faded

by YellowMagicalGirl



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Almost Kiss, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Area 49-B (Tales of Arcadia), Hurt/Comfort, I first heard the 21P version and then I learned that it was originally an MCR song, M/M, Medical Experimentation, Medical Procedures, Medical Trauma, Past Torture, Past Vivisection, Series: 3Below (Tales of Arcadia), Set Between 3Below (Tales of Arcadia) Season 1 and Season 2, Title from a My Chemical Romance Song, Unethical Experimentation, Vivisection, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, caged, title from a twenty one pilots song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:09:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26824192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YellowMagicalGirl/pseuds/YellowMagicalGirl
Summary: About a week and a half after being captured by Area 49-B, Krel begins to lose hope. Thankfully, the wizard trapped alongside him refuses to let Krel remain so forlorn.
Relationships: Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan/Krel Tarron
Comments: 7
Kudos: 65
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Chapped and Faded

**Author's Note:**

> This scene is based off of my [And They Were Cagemates AU](https://yellowmagicalgirl.tumblr.com/post/623748075766300672/yellowmagicalgirl-instead-of-letting-me-sleep), but it's not canon to the AU because this scene is also based off of my brain going “and now they kiss?” as I tried to outline it even though the AU is more of a slow-burn.

Two guards dragged Krel back to their cage. He wasn’t sure if it was because they were worried that he would break out, or if it was because his head felt like gravity had been halved. Their grip on his arms was strong enough to be painful. He was thankful that they didn’t force him back into his Akiridion form. He didn’t _like_ being in his human form, not when he was easier to damage and had less arms to use, but he also didn’t want their agonizing excuse for transduction.

Douxie was lying in their shared glass cage. The average person would think he was peaceful, but Krel could tell that he was tense. Ready for the guards or technicians to come get him. Ready to fight them off, even though neither Krel nor Douxie tried to fight back.

Not when the other got the punishment.

Douxie began to sit up as Krel got shoved into their cage. Douxie groaned in pain, his hand making a fist in his gown, right in front of where the line of his healing vivisection scar split into two on his chest. Krel shuffled towards him, ignoring how his knees ached from how the guards shoved him to the ground of their cage.

“Don’t if it hurts.” Krel put an arm around Douxie’s back, careful to avoid the large, mostly healed bruise that Douxie got because Krel had been sarcastic.

“I saved you some water,” Douxie said, passing the mostly-empty cup to Krel. “What’d they do to you?”

“Nothing too horrible.” They didn’t tie him down and cut him open while he was still awake, not like they had done to Douxie. “They took fluids. And they stuck sticks with white fabric into my mouth, nose, and ears.”

Krel shuddered, remembering how Steve had been scared that aliens would suck his brain out through his ears.

“And,” Krel continued, “I overheard one of them say that we’ve been here for almost two weeks.”

“That long, huh?” Douxie leaned a little more against Krel. “I thought it’d been less time.”

“Me, too. I thought Aja and Zadra would’ve come for me by now. That they would’ve rescued us. I... last time I got taken in for questioning, Kubritz and her lackeys didn’t know where the Mothership was. And Aja and Zadra are stronger than I am, better warriors. I don’t think bounty hunters got them. But, repairing the Mothership can’t be _that_ hard. Not if they’ve had almost half a parson. So, what if they decided to leave me behind?”

“That doesn’t sound like what you’ve told me of your sister.”

“And if it were just me who’s gone, you’d be right. But she needs to protect our parents too. Plus, we lost Varvatos. I mean, he was a traitor and a huge reason why all this even happened, but he also... he also protected us from bounty hunters. I could see Aja running away with our parents.”

After all, she had run from the coronation, leaving him to become king-in-waiting alone. Why wouldn’t she do so again?

“Besides, my parents always seemed to like her better, and I never knew why. I wish I knew why; it doesn’t matter. Am I useful? Sure. But my family doesn’t really need me.”

“Don’t say that,” Douxie snapped. “Krel, you’re amazing. You're smart, kind, and selfless, and anyone who says otherwise is an sodding idiot.”

“Do you, do you really mean that?”

“Of course I do. I can’t even begin to wrap my head around the physics you know, and when I told you to resist so you wouldn’t get hurt you refused to let me take the punishment. You’re a wonderful person.”

Krel felt his cheeks warm up at the praise. Whenever anyone else had praised him in his human form, he hadn’t had this reaction. He was almost certain that Douxie found both his human and Akiridion forms attractive. Krel’s eyes darted about Douxie’s face, settling on his lips. Krel’s eyelids fluttered to half closed; he leaned his head forward, lips pursued.

Douxie leaned out of the way.

Krel flinched. “I'm sorry, I thought that you, can we pretend that didn't happened?”

“No, no. I _do_ like you romantically.” A soft smile bloomed on Douxie’s lips as scarlet flooded his cheeks. “I just, I don’t want my - _our_ first kiss to be here, or anywhere on this base.”

Krel smiled, shifting so that he could whisper into Douxie’s ear. “Then you need to heal up from surgery and we need to finalize that escape plan.”


End file.
